At a football fan gathering, discussing and debating football topics; some relevant and some irrelevant. A few about individual players and a few about teams with great feats, teams that have defied all odds to achieve extraordinary success, the debate got hotter and the tempo picked up, then they underpinned this topic; “Who is the best striker in Europe”?
Silence fell, each sinking into himself. It was a subject that made me reflect, but there is another side to this controversy; What really makes a striker? What are the qualities of a striker? How do we distinguish strikers from strikers?
Reflecting on the interesting topic, ideas arose; views of mine came to life. The fundamental question, as said before, needed urgent answers to end the debate. First, who is a striker? A striker is a front man in team football, whom the whole team looks up to produce goals, which will bring victory, he is that man who hits the net with goals.
Let’s review what does a striker really do?
Some of the qualities that I can deduce from a competent striker are: height, speed, skill, strength, wit, calculation and the ability to single-handedly destroy opposing defenses and, most importantly, good finishing.
The strikers who rave in Europe today possess some, if not all, of the above qualities of a striker. Possession of all the qualities mentioned above makes him a formidable striker. The best strikers in the history of football have all the qualities; of the stature of Delima Ronaldo, The great Pelé, Roberto Baggio, Romario, etc. which made them famous and deadly during their peak years, back in the days of yore.
Wayne Rooney, Didier Drogba, Fernando Torres, Lionel Messi, Samuel Eto’o, Cristiano Ronaldo, Diego Milito, Gonzalo Higuain, among others, are proven scorers, who will bury any chance they get and punish any defensive lineup. .
Analyzing each of the aforementioned players will highlight the fact that all of these are formidable strikers, who score regularly. England have always been wounded with smart and proven strikers at different times. There was a time when it was Andy Cole, one of the best players to ever wear the red and white shirt of England, the first player in Premier League history to score five goals in a single match, incredible isn’t it? Well, his time is past, but he really wowed the then EPL fans with his exceptional skills and goal scoring prowess.
There was Alan Shearer, what do I have to say about this exceptionally good striker? He equaled Andy Cole’s record of five goals in a single match; he scored goals from different angles of the pitch, in different match situations: set pieces, counter-attacks, open play and from even implausible and remote angles of the pitch, as a result of his forceful style of play, some sections of the pitch fans were not friendly with him, even making him one of the most feared during his time in the Premier League. Although he has not been successful as a manager, he was unable to save Newcastle UTD from relegation problems, which caused his downfall.
The English football world woke up to the 2009/2010 season to experience something different, a goal scoring experience, a full action experience; The Wayne Rooney Experience. Wayne Rooney as a player has become very mature and confident. Looking at the Rooney of five seasons ago compared to this season, one could clearly see the improvement in his style of play, his conduct on the field, the brilliance of team coordination and the like. All these improvements in Wayne Rooney have made him a formidable and fearsome striker in world football. One of the talents that Rooney possesses that endeared me and football fans in general, is his ability to single-handedly terrorize opposing defenses with sheer brilliance. Rooney has scored 38 goals so far this season, and most of it has been thanks to his individual brilliance, albeit with the help of his team-mates, who have dominated his game in recent games.
Teamwork is another of his talents that he demonstrates in every game, he, with his power and brilliance, has been able to foster the unity of the team in terms of field play, he distributes passes with precision, he does not hold onto the ball senselessly, he puts you in the best possible position to be seen on a pass shot that on a good day results in a goal.
Away from England, and on the European scene, there is this player, who some have mistakenly compared to a great football legend, the player who single-handedly destroys opposing teams, not only with his goals, but also with his passing, dribbling, speed, strength and everything else.
The player, who is the current World Player of the Year, the most dangerous player on the planet today; LionelMessi! Some consider him as the “ruthless”, others say that he is the greatest player to have walked the surface of the earth, but I strongly disagree with this notion. You run out of adjectives to describe him, without a doubt he is a good player, a proven scorer, an intelligent destroyer of opposing teams and worst of all, he gives defenders nightmares, especially in the Spanish League and also in the Champions League, both competitions. where he plays his best football.
The “merciless” really shows no mercy to the teams and players who stand in his way to victory. He has scored 40 goals this season; his finishing game and goal accumulation clearly explains his superiority in Europe. He is being criticized for not excelling in the big games with high expectations of him; he silenced critics of him against Arsenal, after his well-received four goals sent Arsenal out of Europe’s elite club competition.
Resting the debate, I will say that strikers should be rated on different stats, a striker’s inability to score many goals does not mean he is not a good striker. Fernando Torres is a brilliant striker, but the fact that he has not been able to score many goals does not mean that he is not a complete striker. A complete striker is one who scores goals, has the ability to turn the game around with individual skill, spaces himself in the right positions to receive the ball and buries it deep in the net. A striker is a midfielder.